If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Fort Wayne, your expenses will no doubt be stacking up. A personal injury case can allow you to collect compensation for your expenses, including:
- Medical treatment
- Lost wages
- Repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Pain and suffering
However, in order to collect compensation, you will need to prove that the other driver was at fault for the accident and that the accident was the direct cause of any damages you are seeking compensation for. Also keep in mind that Indiana is a comparative fault state, which means that your compensation will be reduced by the degree to which you were at fault for the accident, and you cannot collect any damages if you were 51 percent or more at fault.
Expert Witnesses
To help ensure that the jury fully understands your case, your attorney may decide to hire expert witnesses. Indiana law allows for the use of expert witnesses, so long as they can reasonably be considered experts due to education or experience. These witnesses will provide their expert opinion of the facts of your case, helping the jury to see how the accident happened, how your injuries were caused, and who was at fault. Expert witnesses may include:
- Doctors
- Accident reconstruction experts
- Engineers
- Economists or accountants
These experts are paid to provide their opinions to support your case, so your attorney will take care to ensure that any witness you hire will be helpful in building your case. An expert can be particularly helpful in complex cases, including those involving a large number of vehicles, unusual road conditions, or pre-existing medical conditions. These cases can be difficult for a jury to fully understand, making expert testimony helpful in securing accurate compensation.
The Cost of Experts
Although expert witnesses can help you to secure a win in your personal injury case, it comes at a price. The exact fee will depend on the expert you hire. While it may be tempting to choose one of the most affordable experts, be certain that your witness will support your case and has the skills or training to help a jury understand the case clearly. Often, experts with the experience and training necessary are more expensive than experts with the knowledge but without the skills needed for a jury trial.
You will need to pay a price for an experienced expert witness, but remember that there is also a benefit to spending the money for their testimony. In some complex cases, the jury may be unable to see how the accident caused your injuries or how the defendant caused the accident. Choosing the right expert witness could make it possible for a jury to fully understand the accident and decide in your favor.
Contact Your Indianapolis Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, your first step should be to contact a Fort Wayne personal injury lawyer focusing on car accident cases. The Personal Injury attorneys at Truitt Law Offices will help you to determine whether or not expert witnesses would help your cases and, if needed, select the best ones in order to improve your chances of collecting compensation.
